Should I / Shouldn’t I start a School – My Journey

What is your experience about this line of work?, Do you think I will be able to do it?, My city/ town is so and so do you think a new school will do well?, I am already doing X do you think I will be able to contribute time to a school?, Post starting the project what time can I start taking easy while running a school?, What are the challenges one faces? What if ……………….?

Since the blog has picked up I have met people personally at my office and also I do get questions over my mail. I thought this makes a good topic for a post and could possibly help others to find answers to their dilemmas.

My Journey

As you can read from my introduction below and from my linkedin profile, I am an engineer and a communication specialist by education. Sometime around 2009-10, I decided to give up my job in Mumbai and throw my weight behind my idea of myself i.e. to work for myself. Between all the ideas I toyed around with the one which appealed most to me was starting something in education. My father has been involved with schools and colleges since the last two decades, so we thought of starting out with the same. We started in the year 2010 and for some reason in Raipur – Chattisgarh that year somebody decided for the next few years will be years of schools. So between 2009 – 2012 a slew of schools opened up and almost 90% of them were franchise of some or the other big brand. Brighton International School has weathered it all and now is a CBSE affiliated with a strength of more than 1200 students and has been able to sustain its expenses and operations. We decided to locate ourselves bang in the middle of a bevy of already existing schools. So from a modest beginning of 120 students, intense competition and constant comparisons, we have been to hold on to our own and have been able to carve a distinct identity for ourselves among the parents and teachers.

What did I learn?

I will keep this short in bullets

Keep it economical – There is no end to facilities and amenities you can provide but figure out crisply what is adding to the cost and not adding to admissions

Do justice – It is easy to introduce new things as now there are specialized vendors for computer education, sports, music, E-learning etc etc. All believe it is easy for a school to cough up money per student wise. As a promoter one has to be specific to bite what one can chew and digest. For example if you are making a Maths Lab make sure it gets used to optimum.

Now coming to philosophical questions like deriving satisfaction and all, I don’t know but I like working for myself, I like improving every day, I like to share and discuss gyan and Ideas, I like to meet new people, I like improvisation, it is good to meet people when they are at their best behaviour and I can safely say all of this happens with me on a daily basis. On top of this I get to work for myself and find out time to help society in ways more than one.

I cannot answer questions like

“Do you think I will be able to do it?, My city/ town is so and so do you think a new school will do well?, I am already doing X do you think I will be able to contribute time to a school?, Post starting the project what time can I start taking easy while running a school?, What are the challenges one faces? What if ……………….?”

What I believe is you work with sane logic, be reasonable, think about your customer, value the reason why people come to you, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I am not declaring or owning that my school is best but all I can claim is it is an idea always willing to improve, learn and get inspired. Exactly the quality we want our students to pick up.

Hi, if you are looking for a Consultant to help you start a School or with any issue like Affiliations, Project Finance, School Management, Project Feasibility Studies, Project Report, Contact Abhiney Singh by filling the form below or calling or through WhatsApp on +91 70002 40006

I run a school called Brighton International School (www.brightoninternational.in). I am also now a partner with a School consulting company which helps budding educators or investors start school or gain access to help related to school. The help could be in the form of Turnkey School Consultation, Detailed Project report, Project Finance, Business Plan consulting, Recruitment planning, Infrastructure consultation, Affiliation Consultation, Teacher’s Training, Academic and Curriculum Planning. I now have a decade of work experience. I strongly believe in improving every day and I have tremendous respect for people who pursue their dreams with undying passion and enthusiasm. I have worked in Mumbai for about 6 years as a Marketing-Media professional which has helped me in shaping what I am today. I am Chemical Engineer with an MBA in Marketing.You can know more about me at www.linkedin.com/in/abhineysingh

You can mail me on abhiney@brightoninternational.in or call me on +91 70002 40006. This number is also on whatsapp.

Abhiney Singh

I run a school called Brighton International School (www.brightoninternational.in).
I am also now a partner with a School consulting company which helps budding educators or investors start school or gain access to help related to school. The help could be in the form of Turnkey School Consultation, Detailed Project report, Project Finance, Business Plan consulting, Recruitment planning, Infrastructure consultation, Affiliation Consultation, Teacher’s Training, Academic and Curriculum Planning. I now have a decade of work experience. I strongly believe in improving every day and I have tremendous respect for people who pursue their dreams with undying passion and enthusiasm.
I have worked in Mumbai for about 6 years as a Marketing-Media professional which has helped me in shaping what I am today. I am Chemical Engineer with an MBA in Marketing.
You can know more about me at www.linkedin.com/in/abhineysingh
You can mail me on abhiney@brightoninternational.in or call me on +91 70002 40006. This number is also on whatsapp.

Dear Saumya,Nationalised banks can offer you loans for School, speaking to Private banks more often than not is a waste of time for New Projects.
We are based out of Raipur Chattisgarh, as a consultation outfit we have managed to arranged Project Finance for Several School projects. We have ready 10 year Business Plan prepared for schools and is extremely easy for us to manage your documents if services are solicited. Give me a call on my number 70002 40006 if you are looking for a CA, school consultants and Project Finance. We do it all.

Dear Naimuddin, The cost of land will differ from location to location. My assumption is in the place you are talking a decently located land would cost about 60 lacs to 1 cr an acre easily. You multiply Rs 1500 with the amount of building you want to construct to get the Civil Constriction cost, post that working capital around 1.5 cr is required. What I am suggesting is not reside but a ballpark, once you sit down and list out the services and facilities you want to provide than possibly you can understand costs better. If you find the land somewhere and look for professional help, let me know.

It’s good to know about you.By profession I am a teacher and want to start my own school.Can you please give me an idea about the total cost involved in building up a Cbse school in and around Kolkata?

Dear Mahua,
I have written a post which could help you come to a ballpark figure. http://brightoninternational.in/teachclub/how-to-start-a-school-in-india/
Investment which can go into starting a school can vary depending upon the promoter’s vision and aspirations. In and around Kolkata barring the cost of land, a bare minimum set up should cost you around 4-5 crores, but do take this figure with a pinch of salt.

Dear Saurabh,
Start from the Pre Primary and Primary classes. Try creating a curriculum for your school for the entire academic year. Work on the lesson plans for each and every subject with the right mix of concept building and academic rigour. The complete pedagogy should be such that it should speak for your vision of a model school.

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Hi, if you are looking for a Consultant to help you start a School or with any issue like Affiliations, Project Finance, School Management, Project Feasibility Studies, Project Report, Contact Abhiney Singh by filling the form below or calling or through WhatsApp on +91 70002 40006